Tour Confidential: How much does Ryder Cup Prep Matter do?

Check every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors while breaking down the most popular topics in the sport and participating in the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week we are discussing the importance of Ryder Cup Prep, Rory McIlroy’s Irish Open -victory and more.

The Ryder Cup does not start next week, although 21 of the 24 players who compete in it will make it anyway. Eleven of the 12 members of the European Ryder Cup team are located in the field at the BMW PGA championship, while 10 of the 12 Americans will play the ProCore championship in Napa, California. Two years ago, only two US Ryder Cup players were competing in NAPA and nine out of 12 had five weeks off between the Tour Championship and Ryder Cup, which was a move that were a move, were a move from the Americans who are heads of their loss. How much is this week important for the Ryder Cup? A bit or a lot?

Josh Berhow, Managing Editor (@Josh_berhow)): I think it matters! Now you could claim that the Americans did not participate in NAPA in 2021 and still drove to Whistling Straits, but if the option is one or the other and I am the leader of this team, I would choose to play. It is good to let competitive juices go and I think the team structure aspect is important. Another conversation is the timing of the Ryder Cup and/or the Tour Championship, which means that the American team has to do with this break.

Josh Schrock, news editor (@Schrock_and_Awe): It certainly doesn’t hurt. The American players were clearly rusty in Rome, although I am not sure how much that had to do with care that they took. Credit to Keegan Bradley for getting the majority of his team to buy in, and to Scottie Scheffler, who sets the tone as World No. 1 and is clearly purchased to ensure that the Americans are much sharper this time. Will it matter? We will find out soon.

Sean Zak, senior writer (@Sean_zak): I think it matters a lot, but not necessarily in the ways you would expect. I think it matters that JJ Spaun has the feeling that he is teammates with Bryson Dephambeau. And that Dechambeau feels like a teammate of Scottie Scheffler. Last year last year, those two were suddenly Crypto.com Showdown opponents, and not exactly friendly that week. DCCHAMBEAU will be in NAPA for team -related activities, and I think that’s important. Just as Collin Morikawa has to continue to grind on his well and Harris English on his … whole game. Everyone must feel more comfortable, and next week can really help.

Luke Donald closed his Ryder Cup team with six Captain’s Picks that he made last Monday, and his selection consists of 11 of the 12 players who defeated the US in Rome. How much stock do you put in that experience?

Berhow: Many, especially because it is an away match for them. But what is important here is that he has not achieved no experience like what could have been done in recent years with some of those old regulars. He has the 12 best possible players and I think there is little debate about that, at least less debate than on the American side.

Schrock: Don’t see how you can’t put a lot of stock in it. He not only brings back experience, but also his experience that is not beyond his Prime. Team Europe knows how these boys play together and have a good feeling for which couples they want in which sessions. I think Josh has made a good point that Donald had no experience to experience, but he took experience that is still playing well and not beyond the Prime as has been in the past (see: Europe, 2021).

Bag: It feels enormously important that Sepp tighta got his feet wet and Ludvig Aberg so well linked to Viktor HOVOLAND and, well, that Matt Fitzpatrick felt what it feels like to win a competition victory. It is all important that you feel that you belong and do not feel the opposite – as if you don’t belong. The Ryder Cup boiler is different and weird thoughts can arise.

With the Irish Open, Shane Lowry said he didn’t think the Home Ryder Cup fans would not be too heavy in his European team and say: “We play week-in, week in America. We all live in America, or most of us do that at least, and we all have a lot of fans in America. … I don’t think they can do you so badly for a week.” Do you buy this?

Berhow: Oh no. No, no, no, no. It can be ugly. And it will certainly not be tame. Ironically, this comment may not help things, such as in “Dazed and Confused” when Jodi Kramer told her friends that she had to take it easy with her brother, Mitch Kramer, for the first -year student. Jodi, you just made it worse!

Schrock: Oh, Shane. The American fans may love you with the artist who is previously known as the Northern Trust, but it will not be friendly at the end of the month in Long Island.

Bag: Sorry, Shane. But you are just wrong. Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm, to name just two, did not like it when Americans were brutal to them at Whistling Straits. And that was in a usually non-competitive cup. If this thing is close by I would like to think that it will not be Lowry many fans who cheer for his ball-smarable at Bethpage.

Rory Mcilroy won the Irish Open on Sunday, his first victory since the Masters in April. An important victory because …?

Berhow: Because the Ryder Cup is approaching quickly and he needed a bit of his mojo and to get out of this little funk. Every victory for every player is important for some reason, even for these guys they accumulate more than others.

Schrock: Winning a tournament that he has largely the way he did is a good memory for him, and we, despite his post-masters Malaise, can still deliver Rory McIlroy moments that demonstrably can no one else who are currently playing. It is again an important trophy for a career year and shows that he is ready for the Ryder Cup.

Bag: Because it was his first victory since the Masters. The next victory is always important. That causes something that we were not really sure a week ago: he will be a problem for the Yanks.

Team USA won the Walker Cup in Cypress Point Club on Sunday and beat GB & I 17-9. Although we had the opportunity to see various potential future stars, we also got a glimpse of Cypress Point, the second round of Golf in the world. How important are locations for amateur events such as these? And where would you like to see a Walker Cup go?

Berhow: For all regular PGA Tour events and Majors that stop at locations that do little to excite the average fan, the Walker Cup gets well. Old of course two years ago and Lahinch (look it up!) Next year. These sites are important because they add juice to amateur events, which are often more difficult than pro-events, and bring a small gravitas to an important two-day confrontation that emphasizes a number of really fantastic emerging talent.

Schrock: Completely agree with Berhow. This is what it should be about. Having this event on Cypress has just added SAP to one of the best golf events of the year, and the USGA/Walker Cup continues to do this in the right way.

Bag: Would you view multiple YouTube videos about the creation of the course, the membership, the land team, etc. If the Walker Cup was at … French Lick? Or stream song? Or even the Spanish bay of cypresses? With all due respect for those beautiful locations, they are not cypresses and they are not close. And with all due respect for the amateurs in the field … they are still only amateurs! Every golf event on TV needs a special combination between field, commitment and site – and this was as good as you can get for the site. That helps you push something else that might be missing. Tl; DR: Locations for this event are so important, so much.

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